My Picks at the Foodgasm

My Picks at the Foodgasm

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

FRM tumblr mag 51
Food judge for a night...

One morning, I woke up to find an invitation from UP Economics Society in my inbox. It was an invitation to be one of the blogger-judges for a fundraising project called Foodgasm. It's a food tasting competition to be participated by up and coming food businesses, wherein samples of their fare are to be judged by chefs, food bloggers and other foodies.

Fast forward to the night of the event. I came early and started taking photos of the different food being set up by the purveyors. I see some new names as well as familiar ones. It was a bit hot inside the enclosed tent of Mercato, albeit I was excited for everything to start. So without further ado, I share with you my top picks at the Foodgasm (in no particular order). Please bear in mind that I have quite a low tolerance for sweets especially those in pure form, meaning, there's nothing in it that cuts through all the saccharinity. That may explain why this list consists mostly of savory comestibles.

Foodgasm Flavor Ave Bagnet Paella
Let's start with the Bagnet Paella from Flavor Ave. I may have mentioned this a few times or so -- I'm not too fond of paella. Admittedly, apart from the few I've tried, I'm not one to gauge which is good or not, save for what I find acceptable to my own palate. What intrigued me with this one is the lightness of flavor tinged with a hint of acidulousness, slowly cleansing my mouth of the sweetness that lingered from tasting the pastries prior to this rice dish. A sporadic crunch echoes softly; the culprit -- bits of bagnet folded within the golden grains. As a finish, the salted egg provided the briny taste fairly amid the trifle slices of longganisa.

Foodgasm Bistrology Tinapa and Sun-Dried Tomato Arancini
These little risotto balls are definitely a mouthful... of goodness. The Tinapa and Sun-dried Tomato Arancini from Bistrology certainly packs a punch with its slivers of smoked fish hiding in a bed of sundried tomato risotto, filled with mouthwatering melted mozzarella. They are then rolled into a ball and deep fried for that hot, savory meal in a nutshell.

Foodgasm Panzarotti
Panzarotti seems to keep showing up at every food event and food market recently, just like mushrooms that keep sprouting everywhere. That's a good thing by the way, because these pizza pockets are just plain good.  After trying out a few flavors, I've come to appreciate the Bianca which has a bit of a cream base more than the All Meat which, on the other hand, tends to fall on the usual pizza/calzone flavor spectrum that shouts tomato sauce. Among the 3 dips available -- pomodoro, pesto and blue cheese -- I always go for the latter for that contrasting flavor that goes really well with any of the panzarotti variants.

Foodgasm Kyma's Taiwanese Style Chicken Legs
This Taiwanese Style Chicken Leg from Kyma's actually showed promise; I could even smell the delicious aroma wafting through the surrounding air. But after biting into the sample, which was just a tiny portion of the chicken skin, it was really hard to tell. A bit of salinity covered the piece, one that I think would have been balanced out by the white meat, had we just had the chance to devour it.

Foodgasm Kyma's Mango Pandan
Having been used to buco pandan at parties catered by different suppliers, this Mango Pandan was a fresh alternative. Who doesn't love mangoes anyway? The sweetness of the fruity bits married beautifully with the light, hollow taste of pandan, both fusing together in a dessert that's best cold and on top of your taste buds.

Foodgasm Mila C's Sinantol
I must admit I don't eat santol. Not that I hated it or anything, there's just something there that's not favorable to a child's palate and ever since, I hadn't bothered on trying to consume it again. So I was hesitant to take a sample of this Sinantol delicacy. Fortunately, I did. And I was glad I did. It had a slight kick to it that whet my appetite even more. A little spicy and a little salty, it was also available with rice and was great with it, too. Unfortunately though, I forgot to go back and get a bottle to bring home.

Foodgasm Mad Mark's ice creams
Never having had the opportunity to try out Mad Mark's, I was thrilled to see their booth there. Though the photo above shows the Half-baked Madagascar ice cream, I actually chose the Salted Sumatra, which is their coffee-flavored variant. One bite and I'm hooked; I couldn't believe how silky and creamy it was. It just kept melting on the top of my tongue as I slowly savored the coffee flavor that was neither strong nor bland.

Foodgasm Blue Toque The Ultimate
Aptly called "The Ultimate", this gourmet mousse cake is literally bliss. As soon as my lips imprisoned the small, dulcet block, a rush of coldness hit my gustatory organs followed by a velvety smooth texture of the mousse hitching a ride on a layer of crunch. The rich Belgian chocolate is extremely apparent, but as to how they've managed to keep the cloying property at bay, I could only wonder. May I reiterate, I abhor victuals clad in overly sweet wardrobe, so the fact that this flamboyant dessert managed to capture my fancy, is indeed worthy of a blue ribbon in my book.

Again, thank you UP Economics Society for inviting Food Reviews Manila to be part of your panel of blogger-judges. It was indeed a convivial evening. Cheers to a wonderful event of food, friends and fun!

9 comments:

xoxoMrsMartinez | Mrs-Martinez.com said...

I was attracted with your photos! You captured the food nicely!

xoxo
MrsMartinez

Maria Teresa said...

Lovely photos! I find the following very interesting: Bagnet Paella, Mango Pandan and "The Ultimate."

Guia Obsum said...

Thanks ladies! :)

CoupleStrip - Food Trip said...

Kagutom ah! Cute naman ng food blog mo especially the good pics!

Rowena Wendy Lei said...

Wow everything looks yummy but I am especially intrigued by the risotto balls and paella. :D

Guia Obsum said...

@CoupleStrip: Thanks! :)

@Rowena: The risotto balls were good and even came with some salsa. :)

Anonymous said...

Blue toque the ultimate!

The Purple Doll said...

I got to try Blue Toque's The Ultimate and I can say it's the ultimate cake! :D It's so good! Anyway, I'm curious about that Sinantol delicacy. Would love to try it for myseld :)

kim buenafe said...

twas good you were there early hence, the quality photos. i arrived late and was welcomed with a jampacked venue and sweat-inducing temperature. still a fun event, though. had regrets for not buying a box of The Ultimate.

p.s.
sad we didn't get to meet there. well, next time. :)

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